President Nicușor Dan announced on Monday evening that he is proposing Luca Niculescu for the position of prime minister, who is currently a state secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The head of state stated that the choice came after today’s consultations and he selected the person with the highest chances of garnering a majority.
Nicușor Dan stated that Luca Niculescu has the freedom to decide whether the government will be technocratic or political, emphasizing that "what matters is the majority in Parliament."
According to the president, it is necessary for Romania to have a government as soon as possible, as there are institutions that need adjustments and a budget is needed for next year.
Present alongside Nicușor Dan at the statement held at the Cotroceni Palace, Luca Niculescu mentioned that he will hold discussions with parliamentary parties and will present, in the coming days, the government program and the ministers who will face Parliament.
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He specified that he cannot promise miracles, but he pledges "seriousness in the use of public funds, predictability for the economy, compliance with Romania's commitments, acceleration of investments and reforms, and a state that functions as well as possible for its citizens, meaning for all Romanians."
It remains to be seen if Luca Niculescu will succeed in forming a parliamentary majority and obtaining the vote of investiture for the new Government.
This is the fourth attempt to form a government after the fall of the Bolojan Cabinet exactly five months ago.
Following the failed designations of Eugen Tomac, Adrian Veștea, and Siegfried Mureșan, the president once again asked the parties to come up with solutions "that can pass" through Parliament.
Spotmedia.ro presented the most important statements of President Nicușor Dan:
- My proposal for prime minister is Luca Niculescu.
- Luca Niculescu is a diplomat, a person whose profession is to harmonize positions. He worked on the OECD file, he worked with parliamentary parties.
- The choice came after today's consultations. I selected the person with the highest chances of garnering a majority.
- Mr. Niculescu has the freedom to decide, following in-depth discussions with the parties, the government formula - political or technocratic. What matters is the majority in Parliament.
- It is necessary for Romania to have a government immediately. There are institutions that need adjustments, a budget is needed for next year. Prolonging uncertainty will have effects on the lives of Romanians, the exchange rate. We have seen the evolution in recent days, on loan interest rates, on investments awaiting the end of this uncertainty stage, investments that mean jobs for Romanians.
- I have the guarantee that a government with Luca Niculescu will maintain Romania's pro-Western direction and will also respect the financial targets and all commitments that Romania has undertaken.
Luca Niculescu Speaks
- Thank you for the responsibility. The first mission will be to build a parliamentary majority; I will have discussions with parliamentary parties to agree on a realistic government program.
- I will present the government program and team in the coming days.
- I accept this responsibility with full awareness of the difficulty of the moment.
- I cannot promise miracles, but what I can promise is seriousness in the use of public funds, predictability for the economy, compliance with Romania's commitments, acceleration of investments and reforms, and a state that functions as well as possible for its citizens, meaning for all Romanians.
- A stronger state also means a better protected state, and in the context of a war at the border, we need firmness and vision to defend Romania. Protecting a country also means a society capable of resisting disinformation and manipulation. And here we need to strengthen our defenses.
- We need a period of stability and construction, and I believe we can achieve it.
- In recent years, in the past four years, political parties, institutions in central and local administration have worked together for this common goal, Romania's accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the most important project after joining NATO and the European Union. And today, Romania is practically the first of the 8 candidate countries to have completed the technical assessments of the accession process to this organization, which is the Club of Developed Democracies of the World.
- This was possible because, at an important moment, people with different opinions, people with different political affiliations managed to look beyond their differences and focus on something greater, on Romania's interest.
- There is a saying that in the world there are too many people building walls and too few building bridges. And this is one of the moments when Romania needs bridges. Let's put for a while what unites us ahead of what sets us apart. Thank you once again for your trust, Mr. President. It is time to build.
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Five Months Without a Fully Empowered Government
Monday marks exactly five months since the dismissal of the Bolojan Government on May 5, through the motion of censure initiated by PSD, AUR, and PACE - First Romania.
Since then, three designations made by Nicușor Dan have failed to result in the installation of a new executive:
- Eugen Tomac resigned on June 14, at the end of the ten-day term, without reaching the investiture vote. Nicușor Dan then designated Adrian Veștea.
- Adrian Veștea obtained 189 "for" votes, insufficient for investiture.
- Siegfried Mureșan received 182 "for" votes on Wednesday, September 30, 51 votes less than the required 233.
After the last vote, Nicușor Dan called for compromises from the parties: "Politics is about consensus, and majority is about consensus."
Regarding early elections, after the rejection of two investiture requests, the constitutional conditions allowing Parliament dissolution have been met. The decision on whether Romania will head towards early elections or try again to form a government lies solely with the president. Nicușor Dan rules out the option, considering it would only keep Romania blocked for 5 months without resolving anything.